For Toto Wolff, his Mercedes Journey started with the Turbo hybrid era. This era has been of the Silver Arrows, with the team winning 8 consecutive Constructor World Championships in the past years. But with the 2022 F1 season, came a revised set of regulations.

This time around, Mercedes did not come up firing from all cylinders at the start of the season. During the testing, Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton clearly said, “We won’t be fighting for wins at the moment”.

Although most teams on the grid thought it to be another bit of famous Mercedes Sandbagging. Come the opening race, Toto Wolff’s biggest fears came true. The W13 was clearly not on the same level as the Red Bull and Ferrari.

“The start of the season was not good, there is no other way to describe it,” said team boss Toto Wolff.

“If you win the championship in December and four months later don’t compete with the guys up front, it’s frustrating.”

“We’ve had a real rollercoaster since then,” Wolff continues.

“We’ve been on the podium almost every race. We are strong on Sunday, but we were never really there in qualifying. The gap was simply too big.”

Read More: “Got to Them”: Red Bull Boss Takes Credit For Infamous $230 Toto Wolff Moment

The season as it progressed did have some silver lining though with the car being ever so reliable and the Mercedes duo putting up strong performances.

Mercedes Duo of Hamilton and Russell impresses Toto Wolff

With the performance Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have given the last few races, Wolff would be mightily impressed. Although there have been testing times for the team, the car has shined in one aspect, that it is reliable.

Mercedes has had one of the lowest numbers of DNFs this season, which has only helped both Russell and Hamilton to consistently finish in the top five.

“I think you are seeing a seven-time world champion [Hamilton] in a car that is not good enough for a World Championship at the moment,” said Wolff, ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“He’s just pushing very hard and maximizing what’s in the car and a faultless delivery. Clearly both of them are outperforming the car at the moment.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton Finds Himself in an Unusual Situation With His Teammate for the First Time Since 2007

Mercedes would target the second spot in the championship. Wolff would be surely happy if the team is able to achieve that result.